Looking for setup suggestions (mainly exploring OSes)

kingsombra · May 2, 2026, 5:57pm

I am putting this here because it isn’t really a technical request, but more a request about setup suggestions/opinions.

Here is the story. My business recently closed an office in one building and was going to ewaist a bunch of old Dell Optiplexes SFF. I saved a few of those to play around with them.

I would like to setup two of these to replace two cheepo Chinese android boxes, which I am not sure I trust given that fact.

The two things I mainly want to run is Kodi and Smarttube. Kodi obviously will run fine under any linux distro but Smarttube requires Android.

I have already tried a bunch of Android-X86 distros like Bliss OS. They all seem to have different issues. Some don’t want to do sound. Others refuse to run Kodi other than in a small window. Others refuse to let any application play any video.

In Bliss OS itself, Smarttube runs fine, but crashes instantly back to the desktop, when you try to actually play a video.

I am considering trying putting OM on these. I’ll run Kodi linux native, and add wayland and waydroid to get Smarttube running. (I am not set on this idea.)

I am just looking to see if there is something I can use to run what I want to run on these Dell Optiplexes. (I really kind of like to experiment with this kind of stuff.)

Anyone have any opinions on OSes I can try?

Thanks for any input.

Info:

Optiplex 3020 SFF i5-4750
Optiplex 5050 SFF i5-6400

On both I am only using the onboard graphics.

One more edit.

I tried FydeOS but its installer kept crashing and I never got it installed. FydeOS says they do not support these old processors any more.

Peter · May 8, 2026, 4:35am

Hello @kingsombra, if I read properly, You won to install software to i5 4’th and 6’th generation Intel CPU and with repo for androids. If is it You may try to install fedora workstation without any spin, is base on wayland and have support with Intel procesors and I see she have waydroid. Spin’s may install after if this app are not work (dnf have some software for android), but with bugs in software on any platforms (OS), problems are in to get basic and needed for this soft liberty (for graphic’s software and hardware and for motherboard include). Is need always when You install new OSystem. New installed OS have one bug on start, if kernel have error this may generate software problems and crash. Try to in first get information about error from crash app/soft and try to repair it if this OS is optimal for You. If won to try check Fedora is similar to OM and may to get few platform in one (X11/Wayland/Plasma/KDE) but must build it and have optimal capacity hdd/ssd on board (kernel in few spin are for AMR CPU and app for androids maybe work), CPU have libs on start but different between OM are the kernel are up-gradable and You may get kernel panic if something’s are wrong in updates. (For test try to install old version or new with support but in beta and not install to btrfs partition to have low risk crash system if get disk error).
Regards
P.S. If I remember Debian OS is compatibly to android app but is different to OM but may have Intel drv’s to bus and CPU/GPU. Search for solution .deb repo and if find Deb OS are be this OS( on 90% is correctly for that issue).

kingsombra · May 9, 2026, 5:08pm

Actually I am thinking that I am going to go an entirely different route for these machines. It’s a route that I know the linux community wont like to hear, but it will just work and that’s what I want. Since these are Dell Optiplex machines, they have a Windows key built into the BIOS and I have a WIN10 22H2 ISO on a thumb drive. I am going to drop the idea of using Smarttube and instead use FireFox with Ublock Origin. I can make FireFox the default browser and I can create a URL shortcut to youtube. I am also going to set the 2 registry keys that prevent windows from nagging about upgrading to WIN11, and I will probably also run O&O Shuttup in extreme mode to significantly lessen how much WIN10 reports back to Microsoft.

I am not too worried about viruses because I will only be running Kodi on these, playing media that’s on a NAS through UPNP, and occasionally playing youtube videos through Firfox. (And maybe the occasional video from Rumble.com, but I’ll probably use the Kodi plugin for that instead. The Kodi youtube plugin has a lot of baggage that I really do not like.)

To get Kodi to launch the youtube shortcut, I’ll have to install the Advanced Emulator Launcher. (One of the nice things about Kodi in Android, is I did not need AEL)

Peter · May 11, 2026, 5:25am

Ok, if you get error with one app (Kodi works but second not) just check what of error is in “log” of system (journals in gnome are gnome-logs or example) with this program/app, and what generate system errors when you open and try to install or update/add if are missing one or more libs/programs/ect (codec/drivers/ect) to this OS you got.
If is Mandriva try to, from base software update, install supported OS FileSystem files (Gnome or LX) with repository of libs you don’t have if on basic repo are not you get.
Changes Mandriva to any else system are be not effective if maybe just one of few rpm are missing for run this programs. In my head is one answer for this problem, gcc, ghc or cpp are missing and possible don’t have installed golang and curle to properly run this app. There are programs operate on video libs and if in system (any systems) are missing audio video codec’s and drivers for this bus are broken or not for Intel, this app and program are crash.
First try to get software to get logs from system then just install but find what your Linux need. When I start with Linux just do this and now same, I just install what are system need and check whot is broken after install or what is missing or not supported. Try this and You see, change or not, but if You get what are need to install this program (necessery to run) you get answare whot are broken. Sometimes installing similar in use program you get missing libs
Sorry if this not be understandable but this is one of way to repair this.
Just now i lock and clean kernel from my OS, and i think if You find what are in logs for this applications or program is possible You install only missing files and dont must change anything. Dell, Lenovo and HP are have similar motherboard for Intel CPU and libs for Linux are defined but are in one repo dedicated and install with kernel in installing OS. Different’s are only in compilators what You have installed and conflicts in drivers (drivers are same but diffrent are version for brand Dell/Lenovo/HP), they are signed to secure to broke board. If missing one of drivers and program have bugs becouse of this You must just find whot generate this bug.
Regards